Q & A

Inverter question below

Further to my question below about the inverter showing a fault when the engine is runningI've got a victron monitor which says that the voltage going in is 14.84. So, a bit over the 14.5. Is that enough to tip it over?What can I so to reduce the voltage?The engine is a year old Beta 38 with 120 hours on it and under guarantee.

Asked by: Carl Young | 1.24pm, Thursday 26 September

WW says:

14.84V does sound rather high for a charging voltage, and probably does cause the over voltage trip in the inverter to operate.The detailed specification for the inverter will reveal the actual voltage for the trip, but you may need to ask the supplier.

Rupert Smedley | 10.35PM, Friday 27 September

Have you checked all the conections including those between the alternator and the batteries.Do you have an alternator charge controller that might be boosting the voltage for fast charging.Another possibility is that the alternator might have a faulty diode that could be putting a lot of AC ripple on the DC output; this would certainly trip the inverter.

Rupert Smedley | 4.24PM, Saturday 28 September

Thanks for the feedback.Customer support is obviously not a high priority for some Chinese equipment suppliers!

Rupert Smedley | 9.18AM, Wednesday 2 October

Readers say:

Hi, no intelligent controller. It's just wired directly to the batteteries. I spoke to Betamarine who say that its unlikely to be an alternator problem because "they either work or they don't". Luckily I'm at a marina that is also one of their dealers so they've agreed to get someone to have a look at it this week. Ill post the answer if they find it.

Carl Young | 8.45AM, Sunday 29 September

Beta marine electrician has diagnosed that the alternator is putting out almost 15v so arranging to replace it under warrantee.Interestingly, the manufacturer of the inverter has this to say about the problem... So I won't be buying anything from them anymore!!!!Hi Sir,Better do not run the inverter when the engine is on as this will cause damage to the inverter easily.Best regards,powerinverter-au- powerinverter-au